


Lucky drums

by AlayneBaelish



Series: The face of the man who loves you [5]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Treacle Jr (2010)
Genre: Aged-Up Sansa, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Famous, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Mental Illness, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Older Man/Younger Woman, Rare Pairings, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 16:03:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlayneBaelish/pseuds/AlayneBaelish
Summary: “I don’t like to think of people on their own. People shouldn’t be on their own.”-Aidan--Treacle Jr.





	Lucky drums

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who watched Treacle Jr the other day?! Hahaha 
> 
> This was something I felt compelled to write and it has been a long time since I felt enjoyment doing it (I've found a lot of my stuff has had dark undertones recently and so this felt like a great change of scenery)
> 
> And on a side note, Sansa is in about her early twenties. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this

The wind was biting and as Sansa kept walking she pulled her coat tighter together against her chest to try and get warmer, she was smart enough to leave the hotel with gloves and a scarf on but as the clouds got darker the wind so kept picking up.

It was silly to go for a walk this late in the day and with the threat of rain, it seemed worse but Sansa needed a much needed break from people and life. It was kind of selfish of her to leave when she was meant to be meeting with her manager about her next album but being back home and with the added pressure of her mum breathing down her neck every six seconds to call her sister, not that it was any of her business why they were arguing in the first place.

Siblings fought all the time, even over the simplest and stupidest of things. Arya had dropped out of school to go travelling around the world with a group of friends for a year or so which was creeping over the allotted timeframe.

At first it was jealously, that their parents didn't yell at Arya like they would've if Sansa had ever dared to do the same thing but it was actually about money this time.

It was rare for them but Arya got to the point where she didn't want to feel like a burden to their parents and every few months or so she would ring up Sansa and ask to borrow fifty, sometimes a hundred pounds or so.

The argument was over whether it was important or not if she payed it back or not. Sansa wasn't bothered and said it could be a gift while Arya said she didn't want charity especially from her and hung up before either one of them could apologise.

Sansa had enough of all the yelling and stress and so she walked out of her hotel room without a word about why or where she was going and even left her bag, which had her key card to get back in, her purse and her mobile phone.

She lost track of where she was headed, there was no destination in mind, just aimless wandering and avoiding major city hotspots. She still managed to bump into a few fans asking for photos which she agreed to because she never wanted to be one of those celebrities who were completely unapproachable.

She even had a few people follow her for a few blocks but when they realised she wasn't headed off to see anyone else famous or back to her own place, which some of the more crazy fans liked to do now and again, they left her alone again.

When she found herself amongst gravestones in a big cemetery, she finally stopped and leant against a tree.

By the time Sansa heard footsteps of someone approaching she had been crying, there was no direct cause for it but with all the pressure and the press surrounding her latest album and pressure to get another one out so soon afterwards, plus her sister not talking to her the tears felt almost cathartic.

When she sniffed to get rid of some of the congestion in her sinuses she was already spotted by a man with a light blue cap on, and a backpack strapped to his back, his steps were almost silent in his sneakers except for all the twigs and leaves he had walked on.

"Hello there."

She really wasn't in the mood to deal with anymore fans and felt like running away for second, before realising he looked at her more concerned than with recognition.

He looked to be a bit older than her and was surprisingly a fast talker, almost too fast for Sansa to keep up with.

"What's the matter? Have you been crying? I think you might need a handkerchief, do you have one? Would you like one? I think I've got one somewhere on me, I think there's one in one of my pockets or if not my backpack, would you like one? Would ya?"

He paused right in front of her expecting an answer and just as he was about to talk again Sansa finally replied, "I'm fine."

He had a funny little lisp especially around the S's but Sansa still found him eligible enough to understand.

"Really? You don't look fine. You're crying and I can see the tears still, right there," He pointed to her cheeks, "There's nothing wrong with crying. I cry too, you know. Not for the same reasons as you I'd imagine but - It could be this weather. Some people get depressed when they know it's going to rain, is that it?"

Sansa shook her head in the negative.

"Maybe you should think about heading home. That's a good idea I think, that's where I was going but I wanted to see the cemetery before I did, I love the cemetery. Do you like it?"

"I--"

"I'm Aidan by the way. I'm sorry that was very rude of me, I should've introduced myself first. Aidan Murphy, pleased to meet you."

"Sansa," she replied and accepted his handshake. It was vigorous and more than enthusiastic.

"That's a very nice name, very unusual, I've never heard of any other Sansa's before so at least I could never confuse you for someone else. You mind my asking is that your real hair colour? It's very long and luscious."

"It is," Sansa, for reasons unknown to herself, she was smiling as she listened to Aidan carry on most of the conversation.

"I find it's much nicer when people don't dye their hair, it causes long term damaging effects you know. I know it because I read it in a newspaper, I didn't save it though, sorry about that, did you want to read it?"

Sansa shook her head no again, not bothering to verbally reply.

"It mainly causes skin irritation, makes you go all red and sore and itchy, I don't like being itchy. It could burn you, you don't want that do ya, Sansa?"

"No one does."

"Exactly. Exactly! The colour of your hair, it reminds me... I can't remember right now but I'll tell you when it comes to me again, I swear it - It's nothing bad," He held up his hands in a way to show he meant no offense, "I promise, it's very lovely hair. _Oh!"_ Aidan said suddenly as he looked around them, almost like he had a short attention span, "It's getting darker now, I think it might rain soon."

As soon as Aidan mentioned rain it was like the sky heard him too and opened up, drenching them in seconds. "What'd I tell ya - rain, Sansa."

"I can see that."

"You should go home, Sansa, you could get sick standing out here. I'll take you home if you like. Which way is it?" He looked ready to take off like a rocket.

"Not home," Aidan had no way of knowing what she was thinking about, what was waiting for her back at the hotel and she really didn't want to dwell on it any further. It was with this strange man she felt like she could breathe, "I'm not going back there."

"Okay, well... Would you like to see my place instead? You could stay with me if you like. It's warm and I've got a heater in the lounge room that I can switch on if it's cold outside. You don't mind animals do you, Sansa? I had a girlfriend that was allergic to cats but well, she wasn't really my girlfriend but Linda was allergic to cats. Like super allergic!"

"No I couldn't do that, I couldn't impose." Sansa initially refused, even going so far as to starting to walk away from him but Aidan didn't let up and wouldn't leave her alone on the rainy streets.

Sansa's smile returned again in the span of one conversation and it was the first time in a long time her smile actually felt genuine.

It felt nice and Aidan was sweet even as she followed him out of the cemetery, neither of them rushed, they casually walked off heading towards his place as he explained to her over the sound of the rain turning to hail about his two snails he kept in a special environmental tank, and how he got to own his very own cat.

"Are you hungry, Sansa?" Aidan asked as they walked into his second floor flat, he placed his cap and his backpack on the hooks right by the front door.

The entranceway was very tight and narrow and when Sansa removed her coat Aidan took it from her and put it on the hook next to his beloved cap.

"Would you like some food? I've got some ravioli, I love ravioli! You're not a vegetarian are ya? I had a friend Tom who couldn't eat any meat and --"

"Could I have a towel please?" Sansa cut him off, she wasn't trying to be rude but found it was the only way to stop him or else he would spend the next twenty or so minutes explaining about this Tom fellow.

"Sure. Right down here is the bathroom, I keep towels in these two drawers. It's only me living here at the moment, no one wants to rent my bunk so I don't need a lot of towels. Here's a nice blue one for you." Aidan went on as he handed her the first one he saw on top of the small pile.

"Thank you," Sansa immediately, "Would you mind if I had a shower?"

"Of course, of course! Now the hot water knob is temperamental, you have to jiggle it a bit to get it moving. I tried fixing it once but I stopped before I could make it worse."

"Thank you, Aidan."

"You're welcome, Sansa," for a moment his voice sounded soft and less excitable like it had been all afternoon.

For some unknown reason Sansa was peeling off her wet clothes, her jeans giving her the most trouble, and having a shower in a strangers apartment.

The nonslip mat on the one side of the bathtub was there for safety reasons, she knew that, but what made her laugh were the little rubber ducks patterned onto it.

The strangest part about it all was how comfortable she felt around Aidan, even when he came back into the bathroom - it didn't escape her notice that there wasn't a lock on the door - and just started chatting again through the shower curtain.

"Your clothes are completely soaked! I can hang them up for you if you'd like. I would offer to dry them in the dryer but Linda wouldn't ever let me use it, she refused to teach me and so I can't do that but I can hang them up for you."

"That's fine but do you have anything I could wear in the meantime?" Sansa asked over the sound of running water.

"I do, I don't have any girls clothes but I've got some spare clothes of mine you could wear. I can go get them for you if you'd like?"

"Would you?"

"I'll go get them now for you!"

As she heard him run off she felt like giggling, he was so sweet.

As Sansa went about drying her hair, the ends still dripping as she followed the hallway back to where she thought the kitchen was, she must've gotten turned around because she found herself in a room with a bunk bed, and a set of drums.

On the bottom bunk she saw a ginger and white cat, it couldn't have been more than one or two years old. He didn't look as big as an adult cat usually was.

She must have woken him for he got up and stretched and yawned at the same time before trotting on the mattress closer to her, to get patted. She had heard all about Treacle Jr, and picked him up as she went to go find Aidan.

They both ate their dinner with a bottle of beer each, Sansa didn't usually drink beer she wasn't a fan of the taste but didn't want Aidan to go back out in the storm just to buy her a bottle of wine. Even though he offered and insisted he was happy to do it, she refused and drank the beer on offer.

During the time the food was prepared and eaten Sansa had put both their clothes in the dryer and insisted Aidan take a hot shower for himself too, and when she said she didn't want him to get sick he caved in while he left Sansa in the lounge room to watch the telly as he did so.

Treacle Jr sat curled up on her lap, he either took an instant liking to her, or he liked that she smelt of his owner as she sat wearing a pair of his track pants and a sweater jumper that matched.

As the hour grew later the more beers Aidan put away and the more drunk he got, his arms were wrapped around her neck and his face was never far from hers.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" He asked for the millionth time that night.

"No," Sansa really wasn't and found it more endearing.

"I'm sorry, I tend to get very affectionate when I'm drunk." His lisp was worsening the more he got drunk too, which Sansa found cute.

"It's fine, Aidan, really."

"Would you like to see my lucky drums now? I can play a song for you!"

"It's late, Aidan. It would be best to wait until tomorrow okay?" Sansa stopped him before he got too excited again and left regardless.

"Okay tomorrow. I love my drums, there's nothing like playing them."

"I can't wait to see," Sansa grabbed Aidan's arms holding him in place again before he could jump up, "Tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow." He trailed off for a bit before out of nowhere he said, "Fire."

"I'm sorry?"

"Fire, your hair is like those fires where you're outside, with logs and sticks and marshmallows and stuff."

"Bonfires?"

"Yes! Bonfires, many people are afraid of fire, it could burn you if you get too close, I got burnt once when I was in school and no one watched me with... what's it called? Those things in those rooms at every seat for everyone--"

"Bunsen burner," Sansa suspected she was right with his vague description.

"Bunsen burner, that's it! It hurt a lot and took about a week to heal but I'm not afraid, I like the warmth. I like fires and heaters and summer! Ohh I love summer, don't you? You're very warm. Sansa, I have very cold hands and feet, they call me Mr Freeze you know," Aidan chuckled at his own joke while Sansa got very quiet.

"I didn't upset you did I, Sansa?"

For some reason alcohol and Sansa never mixed well, it usually nine times out of ten made her melancholy, and tonight was no different. Aidan must have picked up on it quickly as he tried looking up at her from where he rested his head on her shoulder.

"No, I was just thinking."

When she felt more of his weight lean against her, she looked down to see Aidan had finally dosed off before she had a chance to elaborate further.

In slow increments she slowly extracted herself from his hold and left Aidan to sleep on the couch as she went down the hall towards the bedrooms.

When Sansa awoke, it was to the view of Aidan smiling right down in her face as he held Treacle Jr in front of himself, as his paw reached to swip at some of her loose hair, causing her to laugh.

Aidan's smile widened at the sound and it wasn't long before he was dragging her out of bed, to share the day with him, and she donned her now dry clothes from yesterday.

It was sometime after lunch when he got on his drums and played a few songs for her, and even though she was disappointed she couldn't pat the cat, she couldn't blame the little guy for hiding somewhere else until the noise stopped.

When the rain stopped somewhere around two - three o'clock, Sansa suggested they go for a walk.

They walked around for quite awhile, mainly sticking to the park and when Sansa started getting tired she knew it was time, "Thank you Aidan."

"You're welcome. For what?" He was a bit confused and she didn't blame him.

"I've loved spending time with you, but I think it's time to be heading back."

"You're leaving? Where are you going? I'll come with you." He now looked sad as he recognised the situation for what it was, she was leaving and possibly forever, making him look like he was on the verge of tears.

"Come here," Sansa took a hold of the straps of Aidan's backpack to tug him in closer to give him a hug, "Don't be sad, this isn't goodbye forever."

"You promise? I've been told that before and months will go by and I never see my friends again, it's like they've all had enough of me and they vanish without a trace, so I can never find them again." he sounded sniffily and he grabbed Sansa's waist to return the hug. Holding onto her for dear life. "I know I can be too much for people, I could try being better if you promise to stay."

"Hey, shhh." Sansa held him tighter as she comforted him, "Never be anything but yourself, you hear me."

He chuckled darkly, with choked back tears, "Yes."

"I'm not leaving forever, I promise. Tell you what - I'm going to give you my mobile number."

"Mobile?"

"Phone number, so you can call me whenever you like."

"Really?" He now sounded hopeful.

Sansa extracted herself and opened Aidan's bag and found his little notebook he told her about and finding his green pen to write it down for him.

"Yes. Now you keep this safe, Aidan. This is only for you, never show this to anyone else."

"I promise I'll keep it safe, Sansa."

"I know you will, I trust you." Sansa said as she put it safely back in his bag.

"You do? I've never had anyone trust me like this before," Aidan said with awe. "I.. I don't have a phone to call you." Aidan just realised and looked sad again, "I guess I could try the payphone by the corner deli, or I could try asking old man Rayder if he'd let me borrow his."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Of that Sansa had no doubt.

Throughout the year they were apart while Sansa was out of the country on tour, her newest album an even bigger success, which privately she owed thanks to her newfound friendship with Aidan, for making her happier than she could remember being in a very long time.

They would ring each other, spending hours and hours talking, which was easily done with Aidan being the biggest chatterbox there is.

She loved their conversations, and missed him whenever she couldn't talk to him but got into a weird habit of taking photos of things and places she thought Aidan might like, to show him later.

Some of the people closest to her even started noticing the change in her, mostly Brienne her new manager, who also doubled as a body guard whenever the time called for it, who once walked in during one of their conversations. Brienne didn't say anything but secretly she was happy for Sansa after all the bad luck she had with men in the past, it was good to see.

Her parents also noticed and while they were happy for her, they did feel the need to do the caution conversation, warning her about Aidan and not really knowing what he was after and all that dribble. She had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes, it was that funny to her.

There wasn't a single bad, mean bone in Aidan's body, he was the last person on the planet who would ever use her like that. Aidan was wonderful and refreshing. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that Aidan was anything but her friend.

The first two people she told about her friendship with Aidan was Bran and Arya. For some reason she felt comfortable enough to share it with them, being in constant contact with each of them.

Bran and Sansa had an ongoing texting conversation which had started around the time she went off on her first solo tour without the family going with her, and hadn't stopped since.

They would talk endlessly about anything from movies, shows, food, politics and relationships or if they needed to vent about any problem they were having, so Sansa had no problems divulging her growing feelings for Aidan to him first.

Arya was a little different, most times they would call but every now and again she'd receive texts designed to make her laugh. Arya had more of a crude sense of humour but she did succeed in getting unexpected laughs out of Sansa.

Their spat ended the same way it always did, where one of them would ring up the other and start up the conversation from where they left it from the last point before the fighting happened or in the last case, Arya was the one to call and went straight into a funny story about how Hotpie and Gendry almost got arrested for streaking.

After their laughter died down Sansa built up the courage to share with her, her friendship with Aidan, but she kept her growing feelings out of that conversation.

Aidan was giving Sansa daily updates about everything going on in his life, Treacle Jr getting bigger, how his drumming was improving with him practicing everyday and only stopping when his neighbours complained.

It was almost funny but sweet how he still insisted he was going to be famous, only that Sansa didn't know if he knew how close he was to that dream, just not in the way he hoped. Sansa still wasn't sure if it had occurred to him yet what she did for a living and that she had doing since she was thirteen.

Aidan also informed her that his work had decreased on his end, but he didn't act like it was such a big deal, which was a shame but Aidan never dwelled on it or worried about it, like Sansa did for him.

Throughout the year Sansa went through some major changes, the first was firing her old manager, Varys. Her last tie to the Baratheon/Lannister's and her ex-boyfriend Joffrey along with the toxicity that accompanied him and his family.

She didn't like how in the last few years he was pitting her against America's golden girl, Daenerys and Joffrey's latest girlfriend, Margaery. So it came as no surprise when weeks later after she fired Varys, he was seen having lunch dates/meetings with Daenerys herself.

It had reached the point where it wasn't about the music anymore and all about the ongoing rivalry, it was unhealthy and it played a big factor in what had been making Sansa feel miserable.

She had enough and just wanted to go home, take a break for awhile, regroup and then regain focus.

She didn't know it something she was waiting for to happen, only that once it was asked she wanted it with every fibre of her being. "Hello Sansa, can you hear me?"

"Hello, yes I can." She smiled at Aidan's usual greeting.

"I had to tell you, Treacle Jr has found a new favourite thing, you'll never guess what it is! Go on, guess!"

"Umm? Is it... running?"

"No," Aidan said with a smile.

"Jumping?"

"No, you'll never guess!"

"Climbing?"

"Oh, you guessed! You did! Yes, he loves climbing everything. Just the other day he climbed onto the cupboards in the kitchen and I couldn't tempt him down for hours. I even put his food down for him and everything! He especially loves doors. When they're open he'll climb up the side of them."

"That's great, Aidan, sounds like the both of you are having loads of fun."

"We are..." Aidan trailed off.

"What's the matter?"

"We just miss you more, is all."

"Aww, Aidan. I miss you too."

"You do?"

"Of course." Sansa replied and waited for Aidan to talk again, she wanted desperately to know what he was thinking in that moment and found it a bit disconcerting that he wasn't sharing like he usually did.

"Where are you today, Sansa?" He asked instead.

"Helsinki."

"Helsinki? That's in -"

"Finland."

"Finland, yes. Do they love you there? Did you sell-out?"

"Yes, the concert was a success."

"That's great, Sansa! I'm so happy for you!" He practically shouted.

"Thanks."

"Sansa?"

"Yes?"

"Can I?"

"Can you?"

"Would it be alright if I called you my girlfriend?" Aidan asked suddenly. It was surprising he didn't sound nervous but if she had been standing before him she would've seen his hands shaking, the only indication that he was in fact nervous of her answer.

"Yes," Sansa was practically shaking and sounded almost breathless as she answered.

"You will? That's great! Hey, Mr Rayder - Sansa has agreed to be my girlfriend! Can you believe that? My girlfriend!" His excitement was infectious and Sansa laughed as he continued to shout his happiness for everyone to hear.

That was one of their last phone calls before Sansa was finally heading home. When she got off the plane her first stop after seeing Brienne off at the hotel, and ignoring her strange looks when she didn't follow her in, that she was in fact heading straight to Aidan's flat, and told the driver where to go.

Bran was the first person she contacted when they started dating and while she was over the moon happy, she was also concerned.

_Bran - What's bothering you?_

_Sansa - It's hard to articulate_

_Bran - Is it the press or the family? Because if it's us, you've got nothing to worry about_

_Sansa - You so sure about that?_

_Bran - Of course I am. Robb will only make jokes because he hangs around Theon so much but he'll support you. Arya doesn't care and neither will Ricky. He might act up if mum says anything but he'd have your back too_

_Bran - You know this, so what's the real problem?_

_Sansa - I guess it is kinda the press but it's also Aidan_

_Bran - How so?_

_Sansa - I'm not sure he's cut out for this lifestyle_

_Bran - You mean like you were?_

She knew it was a crack at her childhood, and all the depression that came from social media and the stalking and death threats from some of her more diehard fans.

_Sansa - Funny_

_Bran - Talk to him, let him decide for himself_

_Bran - But I think we both know what he'll choose!_

When she arrived, it was to an overjoyed Aidan, who wouldn't release her from their hug. Her stay lasted weeks as she looked for a permanent residence.

Their relationship was slow but neither of them were concerned about that, they were going at a pace that made them both comfortable. After about a month, Sansa thought she found the perfect place and left for about a week to go check it out.

"Sansa, you're here! Come in, come in!" Aidan rushed to the door when he heard it being opened, "Mr Radyer is here at the moment too. You don't mind doya?"

Aidan was excitable when he opened the door to see Sansa standing there, rushing her in and placing a smacking kiss to her cheek as he helped her with her bags and hanging her smallest one on one of the hooks nearest his own.

"Hello, Aidan. You mind if I put this in my room?"

"Not at all. Here, I'll take it, you go sit down."

"I don't mind-"

"I insist!"

"Okay, thank you, Aidan." Her smile returned with being back, and it disappeared when she saw the man sitting on Aidan's couch looking at her with a familiar awestruck look.

"I didn't really believe Aidan when he told me he knew you, but I had no idea it really was _you_." Mance said with a chuckle meant to come off as friendly but sounded more condescending to her ears.

"Uh-huh." That was all Sansa could manage as she sat herself in the armchair, "What brings you by?"

"Oh, um. Aidan and I were just chatting and he, still kind of owes me for all those calls."

"Really?" Sansa worded it as a question as she tried not to convey how suspsious she really was.

"Yeah, we agreed and he's paying me back in slow increments." Mance replied but still had that same star-struck look she was used to seeing from everyone.

"So how much does he owe?" Sansa asked flat out.

"I really think that's best discussed between Aidan and myself," He said as Aidan walked back in and sat himself on the armrest of Sansa's chair.

"What'd I miss? I tried finding Treacle Jr, I know he's been missing you, but I'm sorry I couldn't find him anywhere."

"That's alright, Aidan, he'll show himself when he's ready," Sansa replied to Aidan but didn't take her eyes off of Mance.

"That's true. Cat's play to the beat of their own drum. Speaking of drums, I wrote another song while you were looking at your house. You want to hear it?"

"Of course I do."

"How was the house by the way? Did you love it? Do you own it now?" Aidan rattled off his questions but stopped as soon as Sansa took one of his hands in her own.

She found out that holding Aidan's hand or being openly affectionate with him, calmed him somehow but she refused to do more then hold hands with a strange man she didn't know right in front of her.

"Could I see a copy of the phone bills please?" Sansa purposely used her sweet tone of voice as she spoke to Mance.

"I don't think - Why?" Mance lost the star-struck look and now was a combination of confused and suspicious.

Aidan opened his mouth to speak but one look from Sansa kept him silent.

"I don't think it's an unreasonable request, I'd just like to make sure you're not taking advantage of a sweet guy like Aidan here."

"And what exactly are you accusing me of?"

"I think you know," Sansa lost all her sweetness, "I'd like you to leave."

"Aidan?" Mance looked outraged at being kicked out.

"I think it's for the best," Aidan replied and refused to look at him.

Once the door slammed Sansa rose and embraced Aidan quickly, having felt his hands gone cold the moment the conflict started, and she tried her best to comfort him. "Why'd we have to kick him out?" His voice was muffled by Sansa's jumper as he kept his face down.

"I've had my suspicions for awhile that he's been overcharging you on purpose."

"Oh."

Sansa felt bad for making Aidan sad, he never liked the feeling whenever he lost friends, but it was unavoidable in this circumstance.

"I didn't like the house."

Sansa told him, which made his mood brighten, "Does that mean you're staying with me longer?"

She gave him her biggest smile, "Yes."

Her stay ended up being almost half a year and in that time Sansa slowly started introducing Aidan to more of her family. She didn't want Aidan to feel overwhelmed and started with Bran first, before taking him to Rickon's birthday party to meet the rest of them.

Bran had always been smart and when he was still in highschool he had started up his own line of electrical stores, now owning up to fifty stores nationwide and on free days Rickon liked to shadow Bran around, so Sansa chose a day when she knew he wouldn't be there.

As they entered the store via ramp, Aidan was practically bouncing on the soles of his feet he was so excited.

It took longer to get there because Aidan refused to get in a taxi and so it was about a twenty-five minute walk, during which they came across more than few people who pointed at her, and recognised her.

Sansa tried not dwelling on it and momentarily forgot about it when she heard Bran yell.

"Sansa!" Bran greeted as he wheeled himself closer.

"Hiya." Sansa leant down to give him a quick hug in greeting, "This is Aidan."

Aidan immediately raised his hand to be shook, and Sansa laughed at Bran's expression, knowing he was a vigorous hand shaker. "Aidan Murphy, pleased to meet you. You're Bran, Sansa's younger brother. She has two and an older one, plus one sister. Which you already know, sorry about that. I tend to ramble on a bit when I'm nervous, but feel free to tell me if I'm bothering you. I don't mind if you do."

"That's fine," Bran said looking at Sansa for assistance and not getting any as she smiled warmly at Aidan.

" _Oh!_ We saw a friendly dog in the park on the way here, didn't we, Sansa? I bet you'd love to meet him too. We could all go for a walk to see if he's still there." Aidan turned excited again.

"I can't," Bran joked which backfired when Aidan frowned.

"Why not?"

"They don't call me Professor X for nothing," Bran tried again.

"They do? That's brilliant! They call me Mr Freeze because my hands are so cold, and my feet sometimes." Aidan stopped talking when Sansa held his hand again and as they looked at each other, Aidan copied her and took a few deep slow breaths, to calm himself further.

"Sorry about that," Aidan apologised again.

"That's quite alright, how about you follow me? I have a present for you." Bran said as he lead the way getting an earful again with the promise of a present.

The present turned out to be his every own mobile phone, with all the phone numbers he'd need already programmed in, each person with their own personalised ringtone so he knew who to answer, and not to answer any he didn't recognise.

As they walked home Sansa broached something she had been thinking about for awhile, "Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?"

"Here. Why?"

"Just thinking."

"About what, Sansa?"

"The perfect home, mine, yours..." She pointed out.

"What about it?"

"What is it?" Sansa asked when he expression suddenly changed.

"Don't you like my home?"

"It's lovely, Aidan, but what would we do if we wanted to start a family?" Sansa quickly pointed out to stop Aidan from thinking she wasn't happy with him, which was far from the truth. Even though the old small apartment was no longer practical and a far cry from what she had grown up used to.

"I thought we were a family."

"We are but haven't you ever thought about children?"

"I love children! Oh, you mean _us!_ Umm.. I see your point." Sansa let Aidan think about it and they walked on in silence.

"The beach, I've always loved it there. If this is what you want I could sell the flat and look at other places if you like but I wouldn't know where to start looking." Aidan thought aloud.

They stopped though when Sansa's giggle got louder and she couldn't stop laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Sansa couldn't say, she was laughing so much but Aidan's lisp made 'beach' sound like 'bitch' and for some unknown reason she found it hilarious.

"Bitch!" Sansa said then burst out laughing again, and stopped when all Aidan did was smile at her.

"Sorry Aidan."

"I don't mind, I love seeing you laugh."

That got him a hug, which he quickly reciprocated. He smiled and as Sansa leant in closer he closed his eyes in anticipation of her kiss, which was soft and when they touched noses they deepened it, they each broke apart with big smiles on their faces, meant just for each other.

As they neared home Sansa asked, "Say bitch please?"

Only Aidan shook his head no, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

 _"Pleasee?"_ She begged as he still shook his head. "Beach?"

"Beach," He said and smiled as she giggled.

Their happy moment was cut violently short when she saw the amount of reporters surrounding their apartment block. Aidan went exceedingly quiet which was out of the norm for him, and he clutched her hand tighter and held onto that same arm with his other, not wanting to be separated from her.

It was something Sansa was used to and kept quiet, she kept her head slightly down trying to avoid the worst of the flashing lights and cameras, while Aidan's cap came in handy blocking the worst of the flashes in his face.

The press were quick to surround them and fired off questions all together, making most of the questions incomprehensible but there was one that stood out from all the rest and got Sansa's blood boiling.

"What's it like dating a retard?"

They made it to the door leading to the stairs that only opened for residents and made sure Aidan walked in first as she turned back to the first reporter that asked the offensive question.

She made sure to take in as much details of the mans face, and she got the impression she had seen him before, before silently slamming the door on all of them.

Aidan was waiting for her at the top of the stairs and they walked into the apartment to be greeted by Treacle, who was begging for food, he went into the kitchen and Sansa stood by the entranceway watching them.

"I'm sorry, Sansa."

"Whatever for?"

"It's my drumming, I knew one day it would make me famous and looks like it finally happened." Aidan looked up at her cheekily from where he was kneeling as he finished pouring in Treacle's food in his dish.

His poor joke broke the tension and got a small laugh out of her regardless.

"I'll understand if you want to move though."

"Aidan, what? I - I wasn't trying to be vague, I was trying to ask you if you'd like to find a place with me." Sansa wasn't surprised Aidan got all confused and muddled up, and with the swarm of reporters it made it harder for him too.

"Oh. _Oh!_ " Aidan ran to her hugging her tightly, "Yes - I'd love to!"

After a few days the presence of the press seemed to have increased, even staying round the clock waiting for either one of the to exit the apartment, and when someone smashed a window with a brick that's when Sansa took action and packed them up to stay in a hotel.

Brienne came in the car with their trusty driver Podrick and with their help, they got the most important things out. Podrick and Brienne took most of the bags while Sansa held Treacle's carry-cage and Aidan held onto his tank with his snails for safekeeping.

"Your parents called, they said you could stay with them for a bit," Brienne said from the front seat.

"Oh great," Sansa said with an eye roll.

She just knew if they stayed with her parents her mother would use that chance as an excuse to try and weasel herself back into Sansa's life and carrier, the last time she allowed that, she was overworked to the bone. She couldn't do that again, and told Podrick to head to the hotel as she had initially requested.

Aidan was worried about his drums but trusted they'd be safe in the storage locker they rented, that also housed more of Sansa's belongings and a few other things like furniture they had picked out together. When the mention of Sansa's parents were brought up he remembered what Sansa had told him about some of the things that had happened in her past, like her mother's overbearingness and her father's nonchalance to it all, so he reached over for Sansa's hand like she had done so many times for him in the past and hoped it gave her the same comfort it did for him.

It took longer than expected to find a place they both wanted but when they did they got help from friends and family to help them move in. It was Aidan's suggestion to have them help and it was one that Sansa readily got behind, knowing how important family was to someone like him, who had been abandoned as a child.

The only one who didn't show up was Arya but that was understandable because she was on a bus heading home from a gig she and a group of her friends had travelled to that weekend.

Ned, Jon and Robb used it as a chance to make a competition out of who could pack and unpack the quickest and who could lift the heaviest things without assistance. It was only with the threat of smashing one of Sansa's lamps was when they finally called it quits.

When Aidan got out of the car he laughed and pointed at the seagulls, they ended up with what looked like a cottage from the outside giving Aidan the homely feel he always wanted in a home, which was right on the beachside, and inside it looked a lot like a condo giving Sansa a chance to decorate their home the way she had always dreamed of.

Sansa held onto Treacle who was distressed from the long car ride, and stopped and smiled at Aidan's infectious laughter.

Once everything was brought in, furniture taken to their appropriate rooms, and boxes were put in the right rooms to be unpacked individually later, Sansa and Catelyn did the essential things like making up the bed and setting up the bathroom so they could wash later, and of course Aidan's drum kit which took pride in place in one of the back rooms that had a spectacular view of the beach outside.

They all sat at the dining room table and chatted, while Sansa ordered everyone pizza that they were promised for helping them out.

Their time in the hotel wasn't just used to find themselves a home but it also gave Sansa a chance to work on the new album she was planning, and also to track down that rude reporter but once she learnt he worked for the Lannister's she let the whole thing drop.

Sansa had already had enough of that family and found it more pathetic that Joffrey and Cersei were still trying to play mind games with her, even though they were on the other side of the country, and they were meant to be planning his and Margaery's wedding instead.

It got worse when Joffrey would make his disgusted opinions on her new relationship with Aidan public, tweeting his thoughts and even commenting on it once during an interview. Sansa just laughed when it backfired on him and her loyal fans pointed out how myopic he really was.

It was dark when everyone left and Aidan was all sweaty from all lifting and carrying he did, and jumped into the shower while Sansa checked on Treacle, who was left in one of the spare rooms with all his bare essentials. Treacle seemed a lot more calmer but she knew it would take at least a couple of weeks before he would be fully settled.

Aidan was just coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his midsection and another one for his hair, causing another fit of laughter from Sansa.

"Feeling any better?" She asked, he only nodded so she held out her hands for him to take. Which he did as he came closer, and she was saddened to feel his hands were still cold even after his hot shower.

She had learnt early on in their relationship the real cause of his poor circulation, he suffered from Raynaud's phenomenon which only flared up whenever he was highly stressed.

It was one of the reasons she had started taking his hands so much in the first place, but turned into a sort of comfort him, but over time it transformed into another form connection for them, so it was something she never wanted to go without.

"Talk to me."

"I'm scared, aren't you, Sansa? I mean this is a big deal, I lived in that flat for, like forever."

"I'm scared."

"You are?"

 _"Yeah!"_ When she noticed her hands were shaking, she couldn't stop it as it spread. "I'm scared too, and you're right this is big but aren't you also excited?"

"Yeah," He said with a bashful smile.

That helped calm Sansa down a bit, so that made Aidan comfortable enough to reach over and kiss her, taking the rest of her mild panic attack away.

His arms encased her warmly and she reached up to knock the towel off his head, leaving her free to caress his thick curls. He helped pull her top over her head and when his hands wandered her back, which no longer felt cool to the touch, so Sansa took off her bra.

Their kiss deepened and Aidan gave an _oof_ of surprise when they sat on the end of the bed.

"You want my knob?" His question sounded so serious it caused Sansa to laugh out loud, which got him laughing too, breaking the last of the tension.

"So does that mean you want my fanny?" She fired back playfully, knowing he used knob, fanny and boobies when describing the human body, which always managed to make her laugh.

"Sounds like fun!" Aidan said as he wriggled his eyebrows at her, causing more laughter.

He placed kisses along her neck, which brought her back into the moment, as her giggles slowly ceased.

Her shoes and socks had been kicked off long ago and she moved off Aidan's lap to pull her pants down, along with her underwear. She stepped out of them, kicking them off to the side before resuming her spot on his lap.

Not much was said afterwards, and as Sansa slowly rotated her hips, she felt Aidan's erection grow more, allowing for her to remove the last barrier separating them, his towel.

This wasn't their first time having sex, they had slowly built that intimacy over months until both were comfortable enough with each other. The first time it happened Aidan was in a constant state of fear, fear of ruining it, and inadvertently making her want to leave him as a result of it.

While Sansa's previous relationships had made her wary of men, not that she ever thought to lump Aidan in amongst them but it still didn't stop that fear from rearing its ugly head that first time. 

They both felt silly when they spoke about their fears afterwards but it was a great way to connect and feel closer.

Their kisses resumed and it wasn't long before Sansa reached between them, grasping Aidan's erection and lowered herself onto him, they felt no need to rush, and they moved together at a reasonable pace.

Aidan's hands loved to wander over Sansa's body, grasping and caressing everything he could reach, Sansa kept her face buried in his neck and kissed and bit him when she wasn't panting in his ear.

When Sansa nipped at his earlobe Aidan groaned like an animal in pain, it wasn't painful but it did cause his thrusts to quicken, making them both clutch at each other, and their grunts and moans to grow in volume.

A few weeks after Sansa's new album came out, with a special guest appearance on one of her tracks, it was with a special drum solo curtesy of Aidan. The album was one of her more personal ones, one song in particular she played for Aidan in their living room, making sure he payed careful attention to the lyrics.

It was on that occasion he cried tears of joy and accepted Sansa's wedding proposal, making it his favourite song ever.

Months later they were still organising their wedding, and Sansa had just signed a deal to do a number of high end performances and appearances on local TV programmes, so that way touring wouldn't take her out of the country and away from Aidan.

She was just coming in the door and wondered where Aidan was, when he ran past chasing after Treacle.

"Get back here! You know what you did Treacle Jr!"

"What'd he do?" She shouted trying to get Aidan to focus on her and ignore the cat, there was no way he'd catch him if Treacle was legitimately running from him.

"He knocked into my drums and almost broke my tambourine."

"So are your drums okay?"

"Yeah," Aidan said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Then forget about Treacle."

"Why?"

"Because the doctor confirmed it, you're going to be a dad!" Sansa couldn't contain her excitement and had to blurt it out, she could never understand how some women had the patience to create creative ways to tell their partners about becoming first time parents but herself, she had to say it immediately.

"Really? Oh wow! _Me?_ A dad!" Aidan could barely hold it together but still rushed to embrace her. "You're going to be the best mum ever! I can't wait to - do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?"

Sansa laughed a little and tried to hold back her tears and she felt Aidan's own tears dampening the collar of her dress, "It's too soon to know yet."

"That's a shame, I was hoping to pick out names."

"Haha, we still can, what names do you like?"

"Sansa Jr, for a girl. What do you think?" He pulled back to see Sansa's reaction.

She was misty eyed as she replied, "No, we couldn't name her after me!"

"Why not? You're the best woman I know."

"Don't you think she deserves her own name?" Sansa felt some tears fall, she really loved Aidan, more so everyday but especially in this moment.

"Good point. Everyone deserves their own name. I wonder if it might be a boy. Huh! I could teach them the drums! What do you think? You think they would like that? I'd love to teach them, how to --"

Sansa had to stop him there, and kissed him, holding his face and caressing his cheeks with her thumbs, they felt no need to deepen their kiss and eased back when both felt the need to.

"Thank you, Sansa," Aidan spoke softly and tried speaking slower so his lisp wouldn't ruin what he was going to say, "For saving me. For everything. For this." His hand rubbed her clothed belly and his thumb searched for their child, where he wouldn't be able to feel for months yet, "I love you."

Sansa knew what Aidan meant by him saying she saved him, "You saved me first," When they first met she saw how lonely he was, but she had been too, "I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments welcome 
> 
> (I found it funny (in a good way!) writing for the character "Aidan" it makes me (and I can't be the only one) want to ask the writer/director Jamie Thraves why he felt the need to keep Aidan's real name for this role?!)


End file.
